Comparative Evaluation of PCR and Imprint Smear Microscopy Analyses of Skin Biopsy Specimens in Diagnosis of Macular, Papular, and Mixed Papulo-Nodular Lesions of Post-Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis

Abstract

Diagnosis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), particularly the macular form, is difficult when based on microscopy. This study compared the results of nested PCR (91.9% positive samples) with imprint smear microscopy (70.9% positive samples) for 62 PKDL samples. We found that nested PCR, which indicated 87.5% positivity for the macular lesions, compared to 41.6% positivity by imprint smear microscopy, is an efficient method for early diagnosis of PKDL.